Apparatus for turning pages of a book and method for same

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for turning a page of an opened book includes an arm section which has an adhesion member provided on a tip end portion; a driving section which reciprocates the adhesion member via the arm section; a detection section which detects an overcurrent applied to the driving section; and a control section which controls timing at which the adhesion member that is reciprocated by the driving section starts reverse rotation. The control section, when reversing a moving direction of the adhesion member from a direction toward a starting point of page turning to a direction toward an end point of the page turning, reverses the moving direction based on a timing of the overcurrent by the detection section.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Divisional application of U.S. Ser. No.15/156,982, filed May 17, 2016, which is based upon and claims thebenefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No.2015-111189, filed Jun. 1, 2015, the entire contents of both of whichare incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an apparatus for turning pages of abook, and a method for the same.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventionally, a page turning apparatus is known which automaticallyturns pages of a book so that each page is photographed for bookdigitalization without the book being cut (for example, refer toJapanese Patent Application Laid-open (Kokai) Publication No.2015-003446). In the mechanism of the page turning apparatus, anadhesion roller attached to an end portion of its arm is pressed againstand adheres to a page of a book, and the page adhered to the adhesionroller is turned over by the rotational movement of the arm. Byrepeating this page turning operation by the rotational movement of thearm, the page turning apparatus turns the pages of the book one by one.Then, by photographing an unturned page by an imaging apparatus everytime a page of the book is turned over, the page turning apparatusstores images of the pages of the whole book.

FIG. 6A, FIG. 6B, and FIG. 6C are schematic diagrams for describing apage turning operation by a general page turning apparatus. As shown inFIG. 6A, for an arm section 1 of this page turning apparatus, movablerange A has been set such that the arm section 1 makes reciprocatingmotions between book stands 2-1 and 2-2. Also, a start point SP has beenset on the book stand 2-2 side, and a return point RP has been set onthe book stand 2-1 side. Here, a book 3 is fixed on the book stand 2-1side of the page turning apparatus, as shown in FIG. 6B.

First, the arm section 1 is driven and rotated from the start point SPtoward the return point RP side, and then an adhesion roller 4 attachedto an end of the arm section 1 comes in contact with a page of the book3. Here, the pressed page adheres to the adhesion roller 4. In addition,the arm section 1 is forcibly stopped distance B short of the returnpoint RP by unturned page of the book 3, since it has been structured tomake reciprocating motions within movable range A.

Next, when the arm section 1 is rotated toward the book stand 2-2 side,the page adhering to the adhesion roller 4 is turned over. Then, whenthe adhering page comes to the book stand 2-2 side along with therotation of the arm section 1, it is removed from the adhesion roller 4by the rotation of the adhesion roller 4 and the wind from an assist fannot shown, and guided to the book stand 2-2 side.

By this reciprocating motion of the arm section 1 between the bookstands 2-1 and 2-2, pages on the book stand 2-1 side are turned over oneby one toward the book stand 2-2 side. Also, by a page of the book beingphotographed by a tablet (smartphone) or the like every time a page isturned over, images of the respective pages of the book are captured.

In the beginning of the image capturing, there remain uncaptured pageson the book stand 2-1 side, so that the adhesion roller 4 is stopped atadhesion point AP1 based on the number of the remaining pages(thickness), as shown in FIG. 6B. On the other hand, when the imagecapturing is ended, since there are no uncaptured pages on the bookstand 2-1 side, the adhesion roller 4 is stopped at adhesion point AP2,as shown in FIG. 6C. That is, in the beginning and end of the imagecapturing, movable range A of the arm section 1 is restricted by anamount equal to the thickness of the book. In the middle of the imagecapturing, movable range A is restricted by an amount equal to thethickness of remaining uncaptured pages. Accordingly, pressing periodsduring which the adhesion roller 4 presses a page are different betweenthat in the beginning of the image capturing and that in the end of theimage capturing by an amount equal to a difference between distance B inFIG. 6B and distance C in FIG. 6C.

FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B are timing charts for describing a conventional pageturning operation. In FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B describing the conventionalpage turning operation, (i) control signals IN1 and IN2 for an arm motorcontrol section and (ii) electric currents in the arm motor in thebeginning and end of image capturing are shown. In FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B,a rotation when the arm section 1 is driven and rotated from the startpoint SP to the adhesion point AP1 (AP2) is referred to as “normalrotation”, and a rotation when the arm section 1 is driven and rotatedfrom the adhesion point AP1 (AP2) to the start point SP is referred toas “reverse rotation”.

In the case where the arm section 1 is driven and rotated from the startpoint SP to the adhesion point AP1 (AP2), control signal IN1 for the armmotor control section is set at “high level” and control signal IN2 isset at “low level” so that the arm motor performs “normal rotation”.Here, electric current in the arm motor gradually becomes small from thestart of the driving until the adhesion roller 4 comes in contact with apage of the book 3. Then, when the adhesion roller 4 comes in contactwith the page of the book 3, the arm section 1 is forcibly stopped,whereby an overcurrent is applied to the arm motor.

In general, in order to protect the arm motor from continuousovercurrent, a limiter for cutting the value of overcurrent to apredetermined value (1A in the drawing) is operated. Then, by settingcontrol signal IN1 for the arm motor control section at “high level” andsetting control signal IN2 at “low level”, the arm motor control sectioncauses the arm motor to perform “reverse rotation” so that the armsection 1 is driven and rotated from the adhesion point AP1 (AP2) to thestart point SP. The above-described period during which overcurrentcontinues corresponds to a pressing period (locking period) during whichthe adhesion roller 4 presses a page of the book 3.

In the beginning of the image capturing, many remaining uncaptured pagesare present on the adhesion point AP1 (AP2) side, as shown in FIG. 6B.Therefore, a driving period from the start point SP to the adhesionpoint AP1 (AP2) is 0.4s-tPREM, and a pressing period (locking period) Tsduring which overcurrent continues is 0.5s+tPREM, as shown in FIG. 7A.Note that “tPREM” is a variable time based on the number of remaininguncaptured pages.

On the other hand, at the end of the image capturing, there are noremaining uncaptured pages on the adhesion point AP1 (AP2) side, asshown in FIG. 6C. Therefore, a driving period from the start point SP tothe adhesion point AP1 (AP2) is 0.4s, and a pressing period (lockingperiod) Te during which overcurrent continues is 0.5s.

As such, in the conventional page turning apparatus, there is a problemin that the locking period of the arm motor, or in other words, thepressing periods Ts and Te during which the adhesion roller 4 presses apage change depending on the thickness of the book, and the adhesionforce of the adhesion roller 4 with respect to the page also changes.This problem becomes more apparent in the case of a thick book havingmany pages.

Also, the pressing periods Ts and Te during which the adhesion roller 4presses a page cannot be controlled, and therefore the consumption ofelectric current is increased in the beginning of image capturing wherethe locking period of the arm motor that drives the arm section 1 islong, which extremely shortens the life spans of the brush and the coilof the arm motor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there isprovided an apparatus for turning a page of an opened book, comprising:an arm section which has an adhesion member provided on a tip endportion; a driving section which reciprocates the adhesion member viathe arm section; a detection section which detects an overcurrentapplied to the driving section; and a control section which controlstiming at which the adhesion member that is reciprocated by the drivingsection starts reverse rotation, wherein the control section, whenreversing a moving direction of the adhesion member from a directiontoward a starting point of page turning to a direction toward an endpoint of the page turning, reverses the moving direction based ondetection timing of the overcurrent by the detection section.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a method for turning a page of an opened book, comprising:reciprocating an adhesion member via an arm section; detecting anovercurrent applied to a motor for moving the arm section; and reversinga moving direction of the adhesion member based on detection timing ofthe overcurrent, when reversing the moving direction from a directiontoward a starting point of page turning to a direction toward an endpoint of the page turning.

The above and further objects and novel features of the presentinvention will more fully appear from the following detailed descriptionwhen the same is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Itis to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for thepurpose of illustration only and are not intended as a definition of thelimits of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention can be more deeply understood by the detaileddescription below being considered together with the following drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the outer appearance of a page turningapparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of the page turningapparatus according to the first embodiment, such as a control circuitand a peripheral drive system thereof;

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are timing charts for describing the page turningoperation of the page turning apparatus according to the firstembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the structure of a page turningapparatus according to a second embodiment, such as a control circuitand a peripheral drive system thereof;

FIG. 5 is a timing chart for describing the page turning operation ofthe page turning apparatus according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 6A, FIG. 6B, and FIG. 6C are schematic diagrams for describing thepage turning operation of a conventional page turning apparatus; and

FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B are timing charts for describing the page turningoperation of the conventional page turning apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described withreference to the drawings.

A. First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the outer appearance of a page turningapparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Thepage turning apparatus 30 in FIG. 1 includes book stands 32-1 and 32-2where a book 3 is placed, an arm section 33, an arm motor 35 that drivesthe arm section 33 with its driving shaft 34 as the center, an adhesionroller 36 attached to a tip end portion of the arm section 33, anadhesion roller motor 38 that rotates the adhesion roller 36 with itsdriving shaft 37 as the center, and an assist fan 39 for detaching apage from the adhesion roller 36 by blowing air to the page adhered tothe adhesion roller 36. In a method according to the first embodiment,each page is turned over by the adhesion roller 36 attached to the tipend portion of the arm section 33 being adhered to a page surface of thebook 3 and the arm section 33 being rotated in the opposite direction.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of the page turningapparatus according to the first embodiment, such as a control circuitand a peripheral drive system thereof. Note that sections correspondingto those in FIG. 1 are provided with the same reference numerals. Acontrol circuit 40 of the page turning apparatus 30 in FIG. 2 includes aCPU (Central Processing Unit) 41, a Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) module 42,a power supply control section 43, an arm motor control section 44, anadhesion roller motor control section 45, and an assist fan controlsection 47.

The Wi-Fi module 42 is connected to a tablet (smartphone) 50 by Wi-Ficommunication. When a start command is received from the tablet (smartphone) 50 via the Wi-Fi module 42, the CPU 41 starts a page turningoperation, and transmits a signal for turning a page to the tablet(smart phone) 50 every time a page is turned over. Here, every time thispage turning signal is received from the CPU 41 via the Wi-Fi module 42,the tablet (smart phone) 50 photographs a page of the book by itsbuilt-in imaging section (not shown). The power source control section43 supplies direct-current voltage from an external AC/DC adaptor 51 toeach section of the control circuit 40.

The arm motor control section 44 controls the operation of the arm motor35 that drives the arm section 33 for pressing the adhesion roller 36against a page of the book 3 so as to turn over the page. This arm motorcontrol section 44 includes a current detection section 441. Upondetecting an overcurrent in the arm motor 35 (which is limited to, forexample, 1A by a limiter), the current detection section 441 lowers thelevel of a current limit notice CULMTn which is normally at high levelto a low level. The adhesion roller motor control section 45 controlsthe operation of the adhesion roller motor 38 that rotates the adhesionroller 36 with the driving shaft 37 shown in FIG. 1 as the center whenthe adhesion roller 36 and paper are detached.

The assist fan control section 47 controls the operation of the assistfan 39 that blows air to a page adhered to the adhesion roller 36 andturned over by the rotation of the arm section 33 so that the page isdetached from the adhesion roller 36.

The CPU 41 performs the integration control of the above-describedsections. Specifically, when a falling edge of a current limit noticeCULMTn indicating the detection of an overcurrent by the currentdetection section 441 is detected in a page turning operation, the CPU41 controls a pressing period (locking period) during which the adhesionroller 36 is pressing a page by performing drive control such that thearm motor 35 is rotated backward by the arm motor control section 44.

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are timing charts for describing the page turningoperation of the page turning apparatus according to the firstembodiment. First, the user fixes the book 3 on the book stand 32-1 ofthe page turning apparatus 30, and subsequently gives an instruction tostart a page turning operation by using the tablet (smartphone) 50. Uponreceiving this start instruction for a page turning operation via theWi-Fi module 42, the CPU 41 of the page turning apparatus 30 setscontrol signal IN1 for the arm motor control section 44 at “high level”,and sets control signal IN2 at “low level” (time ta1). Then, in responseto the control signals IN1 and IN2, the arm motor control section 44causes the arm motor 35 to perform “normal rotation” so that the armsection 33 is driven and rotated from the start point SP to the adhesionpoint AP1 (AP2). Here, from the start of the driving until the adhesionroller 4 comes in contact with a page of the book 3, current in the armmotor 35 gradually becomes small.

Then, when the arm section 33 reaches the return point RP side (timeta2), the adhesion roller 36 attached to the end portion of the armsection 33 presses the page of the book 3. Here, the pressed pageadheres to the adhesion roller 36. The arm section 33 is stoppeddistance B short of the return point RP by the thickness of unturnedpages of the book 3 (refer to FIG. 6B), and an overcurrent (limited to,for example, 1A by the limiter) is applied to the coil of the arm motor35 (from time ta2).

Upon detecting the overcurrent in the arm motor 35, the currentdetection section 441 lowers the level of the high-level current limitnotice CULMTn to the low level (time ta3). In addition, at a fallingedge of the current limit notice CULMTn indicating the detection of theovercurrent (for example, 1A) by the current detection section 441, theCPU 41 sets control signal IN1 for the arm motor control section 44 at“low level”, and sets control signal IN2 at “high level” (time ta4).Moreover, the arm motor control section 44 causes the arm motor 35 toperform “reverse rotation” (from time ta4) so that the arm section 33 isdriven and rotated from the adhesion point AP1 to the start point SP.

Then, when the arm motor 35 performs “reverse rotation”, the pageadhering to the adhesion roller 36 of the arm section 33 is turned over.Subsequently, when the arm section 33 reaches the start point SP of thebook stand 32-2 side, the adhering page is detached from the adhesionroller 36 and guided to the book stand 32-2 side by the rotation of theadhesion roller motor 38 by the adhesion roller motor control section 45and air from the assist fan 39 by the assist fan control section 47.

Here, the CPU 41 transmits a page turning signal to the tablet(smartphone) 50 via the Wi-Fi module 42, and the tablet (smartphone) 50photographs the page of the book 3 upon receiving the page turningsignal.

Then, at predetermined timing, the CPU 41 of the page turning apparatus30 drives and rotates the arm section 33 toward the book stand 32-1 sideso as to return the arm section 33 and the adhesion roller 36 to thebook stand 32-1 side, and repeats the above-described operations.

In the beginning of this consecutive image capturing, theabove-described period between time ta2 and time ta3 during which anovercurrent is applied corresponds to a pressing period (locking period)T1 s during which the adhesion roller 36 presses a page of the book 3.

Similarly, at the end of the consecutive image capturing, the CPU 41sets control signal IN1 for the arm motor control section 44 at “highlevel”, sets control signal IN2 at “low level” (time tb1), and causesthe arm motor 35 to perform “normal rotation” by the arm motor controlsection 44. In this case, since there are no remaining pages on the bookstand 32-1 side, the arm section 33 reaches the adhesion point AP2(return point RP) (refer to FIG. 6C; time tb2). In addition, anovercurrent (limited to, for example, 1A by a limiter) is applied to thecoil of the arm motor 35 (from time tb2).

Then, upon detecting the overcurrent in the arm motor 35, the currentdetection section 441 lowers the level of the high-level current limitnotice CULMTn to the low level (time tb3). Subsequently, at a fallingedge of the current limit notice CULMTn, the CPU 41 sets control signalIN1 for the arm motor control section 44 at “low level”, and setscontrol signal IN2 at “high level” (time tb4). Then, the arm motorcontrol section 44 causes the arm motor 35 to perform “reverse rotation”(from time tb4) so that the arm section 33 is driven and rotated fromthe adhesion point AP1 (AP2) to the start point SP.

In the end of the consecutive image capturing, the above-describedperiod between time tb2 and time tb3 during which an overcurrent isapplied corresponds to a pressing period (locking period) T1 e duringwhich the adhesion roller 36 presses a page of the book 3.

According to the above-described first embodiment, the rotation of thearm motor 35 is changed from normal rotation to reverse rotation basedon the current limit notice CULMTn indicating the detection ofovercurrent in the arm motor 35 by the current detection section 441. Asa result of this configuration, the pressing period T1 s (lockingperiod: time ta2 to time ta3) in the beginning of consecutive imagecapturing and the pressing period T1 e (locking period: time tb2 to timetb3) in the end of the consecutive image capturing can be controlled tobe substantially the same.

Also, according to the first embodiment, the rotation of the arm motor35 is changed from normal rotation to reverse rotation based on thecurrent limit notice CULMTn indicating the detection of overcurrent inthe arm motor 35 by the current detection section 441. As a result ofthis configuration, the pressing period T1 s (locking period: time ta2to time ta3) during which the adhesion roller 36 presses a page of thebook 3 in the beginning of consecutive image capturing can be shorten,whereby an increase in power consumption can be prevented, and the lifespans of the brush and the coil of the arm motor 35 can be preventedfrom becoming extremely short.

In the first embodiment, by its configuration where the lengths of thepressing periods T1 s and T1 e are controlled to be substantially thesame, a “normal rotation” driving period in a page turning operation is,for example, 1.0s-tPREM in the beginning of consecutive image capturing,and 1.0s in the end of the consecutive image capturing. That is, periodsof time required for page turning are different between that in thebeginning of image capturing and that in the end of the image capturing.Accordingly, in the first embodiment, a page turning signal indicatingthe completion of each page turning operation is transmitted to thetablet (smartphone) 50 so as to indicate photographing timing for thetablet (smartphone) 50 side, whereby its convenience is not hampered.

In the configuration of the first embodiment, transition to a next pageturning operation is made regardless of whether a photographingoperation by the tablet (smartphone) 50 has been completed. However, aconfiguration may be adopted in which transition to a next page turningoperation is made when an instruction to end image capturing istransmitted from the tablet (smartphone) 50 and received by the pageturning apparatus 30.

B. Second Embodiment

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention is described.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the structure of a page turningapparatus according to the second first embodiment, such as a controlcircuit and a peripheral drive system thereof. Note that sectionscorresponding to those of FIG. 2 are provided with the same referencenumerals and explanations thereof are omitted.

An input and output I/F (Interface) 49 in FIG. 4 inputs an operationsignal from an operation section 54. This operation section 54 isconstituted by a power switch and various switches such as a pageturning start switch. In particular, in the second embodiment, theoperation section 54 includes a selection key for inputting the papertype (for example, low-quality paper, regular paper, or high-qualitypaper) of a book.

The CPU 41 sets a brake applying period tMBRK in a brake controlregister 411 based on the paper type of a book inputted from theoperation section 54. Note that this brake applying period tMBRK isdetermined in advance based on each paper type of books. Morespecifically, this brake applying period tMBRK becomes longer in theorder of low-quality paper (long), regular paper, and high-qualitypaper. When an overcurrent is detected by the current detection section441 during a page turning operation, the CPU 41 controls the pressingperiod during which the adhesion roller 36 is pressing the page, basedon the set brake applying period tMBRK.

FIG. 5 is a timing chart for describing the page turning operation ofthe page turning apparatus according to the second embodiment. First,the CPU 41 of the page turning apparatus 30 sets a brake applying periodtMBRK in the brake control register 411 based on the paper type of abook inputted from the operation section 54. Then, upon receiving aninstruction to start a page turning operation via the Wi-Fi module 42,the CPU 41 sets control signal IN1 for the arm motor control section 44at “high level”, and sets control signal IN2 at “low level” (time tc1).Then, in response to these control signals IN1 and IN2, the arm motorcontrol section 44 causes the arm motor 35 to perform “normal rotation”so as to drive and rotates the arm section 33 from the start point SP tothe adhesion point AP1 (AP2).

When the arm section 33 reaches the return point RP side (time tc2), theadhesion roller 36 attached to the end portion of the arm section 33presses a page of the book 3, whereby the page adheres to the adhesionroller 36. Here, an overcurrent (restricted to, for example, 1A by alimiter) is applied to the coil of the arm motor 35 (from time tc2).

Next, upon detecting the overcurrent in the arm motor 35, the currentdetection section 441 lowers the level of the high-level current limitnotice CULMTn to the low level (time tc3). Subsequently, upon detectinga falling edge of the current limit notice CULMTn, the CPU 41 setscontrol signal IN1 for the arm motor control section 44 to be at “highlevel” and control signal IN2 to be at “high level” for a periodcorresponding to the brake applying period tMBRK set in the brakecontrol register 411 (time tc3 to time tc4).

When control signal IN1 is set at “high level” and control signal IN2 isset at “high level”, the arm motor control section 44 shunts the inputend of the arm motor 35, and applies a brake to the arm motor 35 so thatthe arm motor 35 is not rotated. That is, in a period between time tc3to time tc4, a brake is applied to the arm motor 35 so that it is notrotated by external force, whereby the page can be unfailingly adheredto the adhesion roller 36.

Then, when the brake applying period tMBRK elapses, the CPU 41 setscontrol signal IN1 for the arm motor control section 44 at “low level”,and sets control signal IN2 at “high level” (time tc5). In addition, thearm motor control section 44 causes the arm motor 35 to perform “reverserotation” so that the arm section 33 is rotated from the adhesion pointAP1 (AP2) to the start point SP (from time tc5). Note that operationshereafter are the same as those of the first embodiment and thereforeexplanations thereof are omitted.

According to the above-described second embodiment, the pressing periodT1 s in the beginning of image capturing (locking period: time ta2 totime ta3) and the pressing period T1 e in the end of the image capturing(locking period: time tb2 to time tb3) can be substantially the same, orthe pressing period T1 s (locking period: time ta2 to time ta3) duringwhich the adhesion roller 36 presses a page of the book 3 in thebeginning of image capturing can be shorten, whereby an increase inpower consumption can be prevented, and the life spans of the brush andthe coil of the arm motor 35 can be prevented from becoming extremelyshort.

Also, according to the second embodiment, a brake is applied to the armmotor 35 with the adhesion roller 36 pressing a page of the book 3,based on the brake applying period tMBRK set according to the paper type(for example, low-quality paper, regular paper, or high-quality paper)of the book. Therefore, pages can be unfailingly adhered to the adhesionroller 36 even when a different type of book is photographed.

In the second embodiment, the brake applying period tMBRK is setaccording to the paper type (for example, low-quality paper, regularpaper, or high-quality paper) of a book. However, it may be set bysetting an arbitrary period by the tablet (smartphone) 50.

While the present invention has been described with reference to thepreferred embodiments, it is intended that the invention be not limitedby any of the details of the description therein but includes all theembodiments which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for turning a page of an openedbook, comprising: an arm section which has an adhesion member providedon a tip end portion; a driving section which reciprocates the adhesionmember via the arm section; a detection section which detects anovercurrent applied to the driving section; and a control section whichcontrols timing at which the adhesion member that is reciprocated by thedriving section starts reverse rotation, wherein the control section,when reversing a moving direction of the adhesion member from adirection toward a starting point of page turning to a direction towardan endpoint of the page turning, reverses the moving direction based ona timing of the overcurrent by the detection section.
 2. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising: an interface with an externaldevice, wherein, every time each page turning operation is completed,the control section outputs information indicating completion of theeach page turning operation, via the interface to the external device.3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an interfacewith an external device, wherein, when information indicating completionof image capturing or information for giving an instruction to start apage turning operation is received from the external device via theinterface, the control section makes transition to a next page turningoperation.
 4. A method for turning a page of an opened book, comprising:reciprocating an adhesion member via an arm section; detecting anovercurrent applied to a motor for moving the arm section; and reversinga moving direction of the adhesion member at a timing of theovercurrent, when reversing the moving direction from a direction towarda starting point of page turning to a direction toward an end point ofthe page turning.
 5. The method according to claim 4, furthercomprising: every time each page turning operation is completed,outputting information indicating completion of the each page turningoperation, to an external device.
 6. The method according to claim 4,further comprising: when information indicating completion of imagecapturing or information for giving an instruction to start a pageturning operation is received from an external device, making transitionto a next page turning operation.